Tapa
Appearance *' ' salamandrine *'Average height': 1.2 meters *'Average weight': 35 - 55 kg *Covered in smooth skin. *Nearly spherical, slightly flattened head. *External are prominent, although they also possess internal lungs. *' ' *' ' *Hands and feet are clawless. *Long *Eyes contain a Biological traits *' ': Possess both lungs and gills. While they can operate on land or sea, Tapa require water to survive. They will die if they spend too much time on dry land. **Despite being newts, they're adapted to saltwater, and can only survive in freshwater if it isn't polluted. **They can, however, survive in a wide range of temperatures, from equatorial to nearly subarctic, provided they have enough time to acclimate. *' ': Females can lay hundreds of gelatinous eggs underwater. *Like all amphibians, they start life as aquatic tadpoles. These take about a year to mature into adulthood. *' ': Although the presence of the males' semen in the water is what triggers the female to produce eggs; these are not actually fertilized by the male's sperm, and will develop independently. *' ': Their skin secretes natural toxins and their flesh is inedible for humans (although it is edible for their natural predators, such as sharks). *' ': They can regenerate lost limbs, eyes and tail. *' ': Provided that they're well-hydrated and not working under direct sunlight, Tapa can perform menial work for over 17 hours straight without suffering exhaustion. *' ': Tapa can withstand being frozen or going into starvation-induced dormancy, and return to life when conditions turn better. *Agile underwater, but rather slow and clumsy on land. *Extremely vulnerable to water pollution. *Vocal apparatus is well-developed, and they can be taught to speak human languages (although they cannot pronounce the "R" phoneme properly). Habitat *' ': Initially evolved on the island of Tana Masa, off the southern coast of Sumatra. **They must live along the shores, as they can only survive in the shallow seas, and not in the great ocean depths. Behaviour *' ': Natural diet consists mostly of shellfish, but if given the opportunity they will also consume fruits, tubers, grains and biscuits. *' ': Tapa live in colonies and are known for being highly cooperative. **Due to their very particular method of reproduction (in which the male's semen is merely a factor to trigger the development of the parthenogenetic eggs in the female), males don't need to compete among themselves for the females, and have strong communal instincts. Any violence displayed during the breeding season will be directed towards uncooperative females, rather than other males. *' ': Before having contact with humans, they didn't employ tools of any kind. However, they did build large dams in the ocean to keep their nesting sites safe from sharks. *' ': They were naturally peaceful creatures before humans started trading with them. In the face of danger, they typically chose flight over fight. *Due to being vulnerable to the sun, they usually remain underwater during the day and only venture onto the beaches at night. *Although they don't seem to be truly religious, they do practice a ceremonious ritual during the breeding season, dancing communally in the moonlit shores. Relationship with other species *' ': Treated as working animals by humans, who failed to recognize their sapience, and employed in all sorts of marine construction projects. *For unclear reasons, dogs always show instinctive, unprovoked hostility towards them. *Traditionally, they have been preyed by sharks. Gallery Tapa-comic.jpg| WarWithTheNewts.jpg| GuerraDasSalamandras.jpg| Tapa2.jpg|